Alumni Spotlight: Robert “Hap” Zarzour ’78

Every solid career needs a strong foundation.

For Robert “Hap” Zarzour ’78, that foundation began as a student-athlete trainer during his career at Padua Franciscan High School. It became a building block for what has turned into a 30-year career at Duke University, where he is now the Executive Director of Athletic Medicine and Chairman of the Integrative Performance Excellence Group.

“Padua was where it all started,” Zarzour said. “The people, the relationships, and the experiences that I got there are the foundation. They’re the core of why I do what I do, and why I was able to continue on this path.”

“I can’t say enough good things about the people that I worked with there, the Franciscans, the coaches, the teachers, the friends, the experiences that I had. The education piece was one thing, but the experiences and the love and the care that were everywhere at Padua, I’m 65 years old, and I still keep in touch with my friends from Padua.”

Following his career at Padua, Zarzour went to Bowling Green State University, where he graduated in 1982.

Then, he began an eight-year stop at Western Michigan University. Along with his work in the sports medicine department for the football and ice hockey teams, Zarzour earned a master’s degree and served as a summer intern with the Detroit Lions.

In 1992, Zarzour moved on from Western Michigan to join the Duke University Athletics staff.

Initially, he worked with the Duke football program. As his career progressed, he worked with athletes and coaches from other teams, too. Then, in July of 2018, Zarzour was named to a new team, the Integrative Performance Excellence Group.

This group combines the efforts of directors from Sports Performance, Athletic Medicine, Sports Nutrition and Behavioral Health to improve the experience of Duke student-athletes with individualized care. The other part of the equation is partnering with top medical facilities for a “holistic approach” to athlete wellness.

“It’s a fancy title,” Zarzour said, humbly deflecting the spotlight. “The reason I was able to do that is because of the hard work of good people around me that help me. My parents (Rosalee and the late Robert) were influential in my ability to care for people and want the best for people. As an athletic trainer, if you’re passionate about doing that, it makes the job much easier and much more rewarding.”

The Franciscan mindset has come in handy throughout his career, especially during the height of the COVID pandemic when a Duke volleyball player had a tumor discovered during a chest X-ray.

Zarzour turned around the car he was driving to a Carolina Hurricanes game, went to the hospital to meet with the young woman and arranged for her mother to come down to Durham, North Carolina. After recovering from her battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, she returned to the Duke volleyball team and is now an attorney.

“Padua, the way they taught you to care about people, that everyone’s equal, and that everyone has a purpose and everyone’s a child of God, those life lessons do matter,” Zarzour said.

Now, those lessons from Padua will live on at Duke in Zarzour’s name.

Through the generosity of Eileen Brooks and former Duke kicker Matt Brooks, the Robert “Hap” Zarzour Athletic Training Endowment was established in November of 2025. This endowment will support the operational needs of Duke Athletic Medicine.

“I told several former players, ‘If I knew they were going to do this, I’d have been a little nicer to them over the years,’” Zarzour said. “It’s a huge, huge honor. I’m not one for Halls of Fame. I’m support staff. I feel like the minute you get pats on the back, something bad’s going to happen.”

“What is so special about this is it actually is going to help Duke. It’s actually going to help this position down the road because it’s something of substance. From that standpoint, I was okay with it.”

Zarzour has made a career out of helping others achieve their goals, and he is committed to doing so for current and future Padua students, too.

He plans on helping MedTrack® students prepare for their careers by using real-world experiences to mentor the next generation of healthcare professionals.

“They have a great program that could set the foundation, but how they approach it is what matters,” Zarzour said. “Take advantage of Padua. Use it to the fullest. Listen to your instructors, sit in the front of class, dress appropriately. Get the most out of it, develop relationships with your friends, your teammates, your classmates, and your instructors. All those things help formulate and mold you for the future. Use that environment to your advantage.”